Stuart Little

The G-man stays home from school today because it's good Friday. We'll go out to lunch together, I'm sure, to his favorite spaghetti place. He likes the chocolate mousse cake for dessert, which he can eat--big as it is--in about three bites. And he likes to crack himself up about the name. He says he's eating a moose, and then laughs at his own joke. Every time.

Then I hope we'll read together. He will lobby for trips to the playground, if it's not snowing, and for light saber fights. But I love cuddling and reading.

Yesterday, I introduced the kids to Stuart Little, by E.B. White. They really liked it, and didn't balk at the big words, of which there are several.

As a character, Stuart is quite a fussy little guy, and so is the family. The dialog seems stuck in another century, but the stories themselves have real heart. I especially like the one where he goes sailing on a model yacht in Central Park. I've done a radio story on model yachting and he gets it just right, probably because he'd seen it. Back when this book was written, model yachting was a huge cultural phenomenon. Funny thing is that Garret liked the story, or at least listened very hard to it, but then only wanted to hear the one chapter. Then he wanted tickling, racing, sword fights, action. Sammie, who I'm sure didn't understand some of it, wanted to hear the whole book.